Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Radon-Mitigation Bill Heads To Iowa Governor's Desk After EPA Classifies State As High-Risk
Iowa Public Radio: Bill Requiring Radon Mitigation In Homes Heads To Governor's Desk
New single and two family homes would need to have passive radon mitigation systems installed, under a bill (HF 2297) now headed to the governor’s desk. (Luu, 4/30)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The CT Mirror: Senate Passes Bill Creating Long-Term Care Insurance Safeguards
Saying they want to help policyholders who’ve faced skyrocketing rates on long-term care insurance plans, senators on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to advance a bill that imposes consumer safeguards and requires greater financial transparency from insurance companies. (Carlesso, 4/30)
North Carolina Health News: NC Youth Vaping Bill Targets Teen Access
Be Lanier, a sophomore at Cape Fear Academy, recently turned 16 years old — a milestone that often brings new independence. But for Lanier, it’s hard to think about getting older when she thinks about Solly Wynn, a 15-year-old from Wilmington who died from health complications related to vaping. (Fredde, 5/1)
KFF Health News: Gavin Newsom, Early Champion Of Single-Payer, Moderates In The Face Of Fiscal Limits
In his earliest days in the governor’s office, Democrat Gavin Newsom huddled with his advisers to consider how to realize a key campaign promise: transforming a healthcare system replete with insurance company intermediaries into the nation’s first state-run single-payer model providing comprehensive coverage to all residents, similar to those in Canada and Taiwan. (Hart, 5/1)
New Hampshire Bulletin: Hassan Raises Concerns About Methadone Clinic’s Business Practices And Substandard Care
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan this week accused a national chain of opioid addiction clinics with multiple locations in New Hampshire of improper business practices that undermine the quality of care in pursuit of profit. (Skipworth, 4/30)
AP: Transgender Idaho Residents Challenge Nation's Strictest Bathroom Ban In Federal Court
Six transgender Idaho residents are suing the state in federal court, asking a federal judge to declare a strict new bathroom ban unconstitutional. The law, which goes into effect in July, is the strictest bathroom ban in the nation, subjecting people to time behind bars if they knowingly enter a bathroom, locker room or changing area that does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth — even if the bathroom is in a privately owned business. Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to a year in jail for a first offense, or a felony with up to five years in prison for a second offense. (Boone, 4/30)
MPR News: For Some In St. Cloud’s Somali Community, Stress From ICE Surge Strained Mental Health
The surge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in St. Cloud earlier this year created a climate of intense fear and anxiety in the Somali American community that lasted for months, and left some still feeling the effects on their mental health. (Marohn, 5/1)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Mental Health Center Expansion Aims To Boost Care In Geauga County
An expanded residential mental health facility is opening Friday in Geauga County, increasing local capacity for people who need intensive, short-term support outside of a hospital setting. (Walsh, 4/30)
Bridge Michigan: They Sought Help For Son With Mental Illness. He Ended Up In Jail
With their son in the throes of a mental health crisis last November, Bill and Faith Piersing did what they’d been told to do countless times before: They dialed 911. The couple were hoping for a helping hand to deescalate the situation and transport him to a hospital. Instead, the law enforcement officers who showed up at their home seemed intent on arresting their son, sparking an altercation that would quickly escalate, Bill Piersing told Bridge Michigan. “They came in the house and made him a felon,” he said. (Gibbons, 4/30)
Honolulu Civil Beat: Aging Hawaiʻi: 60,000 More Housing Units Needed By 2050
Hawaiʻi will need nearly 60,000 additional housing units by 2050 to meet future demand driven largely by an aging population and to prevent younger residents from getting squeezed out of the housing market. Residents age 65 or older will need 44,000 of the new units, according to a new report released by AARP Hawaiʻi, which also said the housing shortage is driving up prices and pushing younger residents to leave the state. (Hay, 4/30)
MPR News: Minneapolis High School Swimmer Invents Device That Detects Harmful Pool Chemicals
Aditi Gandhi spends a lot of time in the pool. The 17-year old started swimming when she was four, and she now swims competitively for her high school, the Blake School in Minneapolis. (Bloch, 5/1)
AP: Camp Mystic In Texas Will Not Reopen This Summer After All
Camp Mystic on Thursday halted plans to reopen this summer on the Texas river where floodwaters killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors, backing down in the face of outraged families and investigations that accused the all-girls Christian camp of dangerous safety and operational deficiencies. The decision, a striking reversal of the camp owners’ determination to reopen, follows weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations. (Vertuno and Murphy, 4/30)
